Out of the Frying-Pan, and into the Fire
By Kim Smith
On July 30,while reading the regional newspaper over my A.M. tea, a powerful letter-to-the-editor concerning medical marijuana caught my eye. As this is a topic of great concern to me, I immediately contacted the author, Dr. Steven C. Matson. Within the hour, he returned my call, giving me per- mission to print his letter, in its entirety, within my column. As you read it, those facts, of especial importance, will be capitalized. At the conclusion of his letter, I will include my own remarks, borne from personal experience: "A Drug of Abuse and Dependence"
It is time for physicians-scientists to weigh in on the legalization of so-called "medical marijuana". I am president of the Ohio Chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the leading organization specializing in addiction medicine that represents more than 3,000 physicians across the country. I see daily examples in my practice that marijuana is a drug of abuse and dependence that has serious negative consequences for many of users. I see previously healthy teens now relegated to illegal activities to fuel their drug abuse that started with marijuana.
The adolescent brain is undergoing major changes and we know that marijuana- smoking teens HAVE CHANGES IN THEIR BRAIN CHEMISTRY that MAKE THEM MORE LIKELY to ABUSE OPIATES and HEROIN in LATER LIFE. We know that teens who start smoking marijuana have a SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED risk of cocaine, heroin and prescription drug use. They also have a FOUR to NINE TIMES INCREASE risk of experiencing of drug abuse and drug dependence later in life. IN STATES WHERE MARIJUANA is LEGAL, SERIOUS UNPREDICTED NEGATIVE OUTCOMES have DEVELOPED. In Colorado, most teens who start to smoke marijuana are doing so WITH REGULATED "MEDICAL MARIJUANA" that had been recommended to OTHER patients. In California, unscrupulous providers are opening cash-only strip-mall offices to sign off on medical marijuana recommendations for ANYONE WITH ENOUGH MONEY to RECEIVE a RECOMMENDATION.
Proponents feel they can pass this measure by showing cancer victims who can only gain relief from smoking marijuana. Good scientific research has shown that MARIJUANA is NOT NECESSARY, and, in fact, IS DANGEROUS, as is smoking any product. We already have a form that has been studied and approved in the proper manner by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dronabinol is a cannab- inoid available to all patients. Controlled scientific studies of head-to-head compari- son with Dronabinol to be equal or better than smoked marijuana for pain and nausea.
ASSAM asserts that MARIJUANA...SHOULD BE SUBJECT to the SAME STAND- ARDS that are applicable to OTHER PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS and medical devices, and that THESE PRODUCTS SHOULD NOT BE DISTRIBUTED or other- wise provided to patients unless and until such products or devices HAVE RECEIVED marketing approval FROM the FDA.
Medical marijuana is a bad idea for Ohio, a state ALREADY BEING RAVAGED by DRUG ABUSE and DEPENDENCE. PHysicians have the medications we need to treat patients.WHAT WE DO NOT NEED is a REPEAT of the Ohio pil mills that DROVE the CURRENT OPIATE EPIDEMIC--to be replaced with SHADY CLINICS providing UNCONTROLLED MARIJUANA for the smallest of medical conditions. Dr. Steven C. Matson, Columbus, Ohio
Marijuana has long been referred to as the "gateway drug", frequently leading the user to heroin, etc. If you have, or have had, a loved one drawn into the world of drugs as we have, you not only would be violently opposed to legalization, you wouldn't wish this hell on your worst enemy. The legalization of marijuana is fueled by greedy politicians, hungry for tax monies anyway they can get them, and too lazy to do their REAL jobs, namely making tough spending cuts that INCLUDE a reduction in their OWN obscene salaries and "perks".
More Resources
Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting
More Medicine Information:
Related Articles
Over The Counter Pain Medication: How To Choose The Right Drugs
With the recent front-page news about the possible hazards of pain medications, you may be taking a look at your over-the-counter (or OTC) pain medications with a wary eye. While all drugs, including those you don't need a prescription for, can be dangerous, some basic knowledge can help you avoid the pitfalls for the pain relief you need.
Hidden ER Costs Undermine Health Markets
Imagine you're traveling in a different state when, suddenly, you begin to feel severe abdominal pain. Being unfamiliar with the area and wanting to avoid hefty out-of-network bills, you call your insurance company to find an in-network hospital.
Benign Tumors Of The Cervix
Endocervical polypsEndocervical polyps are the most common benign neoplasms of the cervix. Please note that the word neoplasm refers to a cancerous growth.
Top Five FAQs About Nail Fungus
What is nail fungus?Nail fungus, also known as Onychomycosis, is an organism which digests the keratin found in your fingernails and toenails. The fingernail and toenail are naturally built to be strong barriers, and resistant to fungi and other infections.
Medical Tourism Opportunities in India
More and more people have started travelling to India for Medical Treatment and during the past year alone, over 150000 people travelled to India for their medical requirements. Medical Tourism is finally coming of age.
The Truth about C Reactive Protein and Cholesterol Lowering Drugs
You might disagree, but hear me out on this..
A Compelling Look at Pain Relief
If your back aches when you're loading groceries in the car or your hands cramp up with arthritis when you sit down at the computer, you're not alone. Although the nature, cause, and complaints vary, over one-half of Americans experience chronic or recurrent pain, a recent survey conducted by the Stanford University Medical Center found.
Toenail Fungus: Treatment and Prevention
A thick, yellowish nail with splotchy white areas is a classic presentation for a fungal toenail. In the early stages the toenail is only slightly discolored, or slightly thickened.
Traditional Treatments for Back Pain... Which Ones Work and Which Ones Don't?
When Dorothy followed the yellow brick road, she was told to do so by those who wanted her to get where she wanted go. Well as humans when we blindly follow recommendations even by individuals who have good intentions, it may not always be your best option.
Bee Propolis: Synergisitc Health Care for the 21st Centruy
For well over a century modern science has progressed at a startling rate. With this increase in knowledge has come medicinal and healthcare benefits that have seen ages peak and diseases eradicated.
Mind Altering
"It's a chemical imbalance." I've heard those words so many times in the last decade, it's becoming routine for Doctors to blame everything on it.
Kids and Medication Part I
We have all talked a lot about the problems in our educational system, about latchkey kids, about teacher turnover (50 percent of teachers quitted within the first five years on the job), psychologists over prescribing medications such as Prozac and Ritalin with our friends and families. We can all foresee a terrible problem in the future because we are feeding these drugs to kids under the age of six, their brains have not been fully formed yet and these drugs and their predecessors and competing drugs all have adverse side effects.
Serevent Side Effects Put Serevent in Top 5 Most Dangerous Drugs
Serevent is an asthma inhalation medication, a bronchodilator, that relaxes the muscles in airways. It is preventative and not effective when taken during an asthma attack.
The Power of Ice
Using ice to treat injuries is one of the oldest methods of pain control. Proven to be safe and effective at reducing swelling, relieving pain and decreasing muscle spasms, ice therapy is an easy self-care technique that anyone can administer.
What Not to Tell Your Doctor?
For many years since medicine has been established as anethical profession and gained widespread credence peoplehave believed that they could and should tell their doctoreverything even remotely pertinent to their health and thatit was held in the strictest confidence. Furthermore, howcan the physician make accurate judgments when important orsignificant information is missing? This system worked verywell until relatively recently but there now exists a breachof this confidence that people should know about and thisbreach has developed from the advent of third partyinvestigations into people's backgrounds.
Bextra and Vioxx Withdrawal Spawn Advertising Pause from Bristol Myers
Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb has announced that they will suspend direct-to-consumer advertising for their prescription drug products for a year. This comes in the wake of the well-publicized withdrawals of Merck's Vioxx and Pfizer's Bextra, two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that were voluntarily withdrawn from the market recently.
Protopic Cancer Risk Lawyer
The FDA issued a warning in July of 2005 on two skin creams, Elidel (pimecrolimus) and Protopic (tacrolimus) to all ages. Recent animal studies have found that Protopic causes lymphomas and skin cancers in an unknown percentage of users.
Melatonin, Sleep Enhancement, and ADHD
OverviewMelatonin is a natural hormone, which is produced and secreted by the pineal gland. Melatonin plays an important role in the regulation of many hormones in the body.
Bulk Forming Drugstore Laxatives
There are five basic types of drugstore laxatives you should be aware of. Some of these laxatives can be dangerous to use.
Sinusitis: Sinus Infection Deals a Corporate KO
Sinusitis and Sinus Infection Starts with a Little SniffleYes, I hear it too. A simple sniffle in a distant cubical.
Cetyl Myristoleate for Arthrtis: Science or Speculation
There are a lot of fabulous stories about Cetyl Myristoleate (also known as CMO or CM) floating across the Internet. Mine is one of them.